Why Does `Boolean.ToString()` Return 'True' and 'False' Instead of 'true' and 'false'?

Why Boolean.ToString() Returns "True" and Not "true"

The Boolean.ToString() method in .NET returns either "True" or "False" based on the value of the Boolean object. The reason for this capitalization is unclear and has been the subject of speculation for many years.

MSDN Explanation

According to MSDN, Boolean.ToString() returns constants "True" or "False" rather than the fields TrueString or FalseString. This is because XML is case-sensitive, and the XML specification recognizes "true" and "false" as valid Boolean values. MSDN suggests converting the returned string to lowercase using the String.ToLower() method before writing it to an XML file.

Hacky Solutions

Due to this capitalization, there may be scenarios where the returned value is incompatible with lowercase-sensitive contexts. One hacky solution to this issue is to create an extension method that converts the Boolean value to lowercase for specific use cases, such as XML. For example:

internal static string ToXmlString(this bool b)
{
    return b.ToString().ToLower();
}

This method adds a new function to the stack but eliminates the need to manually convert the string to lowercase in multiple places.

Alternative Method

The Boolean.ToString(IFormatProvider) method also exists, but its Remarks section states that the IFormatProvider parameter does not participate in the execution of the method and does not reflect culture-specific settings. Therefore, this alternative method does not provide any customization options.

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